Sometimes A.A. comes harder to those who have lost or
rejected faith than to those who never had any faith
at all, for they think they have faith and found it
wanting. They have tried the way of faith and the way
of no faith.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 28

I was so sure God had failed me that I became ultimately
defiant, though I knew better, and plunged into a final
drinking binge. My faith turned bitter and that was no
coincidence. Those who once had great faith hit bottom
harder. It took time to rekindle my faith, though I
came to A.A. I was grateful intellectually to have
survived such a great fall, but my heart felt callous.
Still, I stuck with the A.A. program; the alternatives
were too bleak! I kept coming back and gradually my
faith was resurrected.

***********************************************************
Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Treating others to drinks gave us a kind of satisfaction.
We liked to say, "Have a drink on me." But we were not
really doing the other people a favor. We were only
helping them to get drunk, especially if they happened to
be an alcoholic. In A.A., we really try to help other
alcoholics. We build them up instead of tearing them
down. Drinking created a sort of fellowship. But it
really was a false fellowship, because it was based
on selfishness. We used our drinking companions for
our own pleasure. In A.A., we have real fellowship,
based on unselfishness and a desire to help each other.
And we make real friends, not fair weather friends. With
sobriety, have I got everything that drinking's got, without
the headaches?

Meditation For The Day

I know that God cannot teach anyone who is trusting in a
crutch. I will throw away the crutch of alcohol and walk
in God's power and spirit. God's power will so
invigorate me that I shall indeed walk on to victory.
There is never any limit to God's power. I will go step
by step, one day at a time. God's will shall be revealed
to me as I go forward.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have more and more dependence on God.
I pray that I may throw away my alcohol crutch and let
God's power take its place.

***********************************************************
As Bill Sees It

Suffering
Transmuted, p. 35

"A.A. is no success story in the ordinary sense of the word. It is a
story
of suffering transmuted, under grace, into spiritual progress."

<< << << >> >> >>

For Dr. Bob, the insatiable craving for alcohol was evidently a physical
phenomenon which bedeviled several of his first years in A.A., a time
when only days and nights of carrying the message to other alcoholics
could cause him to forget about drinking. Although his craving was
hard to withstand, it doubtless did account for some part of the intense
incentive that went into forming Akron's Group Number One.

Bob's spiritual release did not come easily; it was to be painfully
slow. It
always entailed the hardest kind of work and the sharpest vigilance.

1. Letter, 1959
2. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 69

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

The Rewards of Honesty
Honesty
Sometimes we think that honesty is simply too painful and demanding----
all
sacrifice
with
no
gain. If we are completely honest with
ourselves, however, the results can only be positive.
What are the advantages of being entirely honest about our motives and
feelings? One benefit is that we never will have to face the
disillusionment and humiliation that come from self-deception. Surely
we had enough of that while drinking.
Honesty also speaks for itself. People know intuitively when a person
is completely honest, and they are drawn to that person because of it.
An honest AA member-one who has truly faced personal faults---- also
becomes an example to others.
The honest person has self-respect and a clear conscious. In real
honesty, there is no inner struggle to keep up appearances or to
pretend we are anybody except ourselves.
Honesty makes us comfortable rather than pained, relaxed rather than
anxious, and decisive rather than confused. These are rich
rewards for
people who once lived in the false world of alcoholism.
I'll try to be honest in all things today. In any case, I will at
least be honest with my self about my true motives and feelings.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

We do not remember days, we remember
moments.----Cesare Pavese
It's the moment that's important. Each moment holds choice. Our spirits
grow through working our program moment to moment. Moments lead to
days, days to years, and years to a life of honest recovery.
It will be the moments of choice that we remember. The moment we call a
friend instead of being alone.
The moment we decide to go for a walk instead of arguing with our
partner. The moment we decide to go to an extra meeting instead of
drinking or using other drugs. The moments lead us to our Higher Power.
These moments teach us that we're human, that we need others. At
these
moments, we know others care about us--our joys, and our struggles.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me remember that my
recovery is
made up of many moments of choice.
Today’s Action: I'll look back over the last twenty-four hours.
What
moments come to mind? Why were they important to me.

***********************************************************Each Day a New Beginning

Genius is the talent for seeing things straight. It is seeing things in
a straight line without any bend or break or aberration of sight,
seeing them as they are, without any warping of vision. --Maude
Adams
We are learning, each day of our abstinence, to see more clearly what
lies before us. Less and less are we hampered by our own selfish needs,
distorting that which we face. We all have within us the talent for
seeing things as they really are. But it is a process that takes
practice, a process of turning within to the untapped talent which is
one of the gifts of a spiritual life.
We are spiritual entities, one and all. And the genius to see as God
sees is ours for the asking. This program is paving our way. Each day
it becomes easier to live an honest life. Each day we trust more the
people we encounter. And each day we take greater risks being our true
selves.
The need to distort that which we see ahead lessens, as we begin
reaping the benefits of the honest, caring, spirit-filled life. Our
unhealthy egos stood in our way in the past. And they can get in the
way even now, if we forget to look ahead with the eyes of our inner
genius.
My path today is straight, clean, and love-filled, if I choose to
follow my genius.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
EditionChapter
8 - TO WIVES

We seldom had friends at our homes, never knowing how or when the men
of the house would appear. We could make few social engagements. We
came to live almost alone. When we were invited out, our husbands
sneaked so many drinks that they spoiled the occasion. If, on the other
hand, they took nothing, their self-pity made them killjoys.

p. 105***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth
Edition StoriesGUTTER BRAVADO - Alone and
unemployable, he was given two options by
the court, get help or go to jail, and his journey toward teachability
began.

What had begun as an adventure was turning into a nightmare. My
moments of escape from this uncomfortable reality came when I persuaded
someone to share their wine or vodka. With a drink in me, my
confidence returned, my direction seemed clear-cut, and I reveled in
lofty plans and dreams for the future. Drinking to escape became
as important as eating to survive. All of the gutter bravado and
determination crumbled when, in the end, I ran up against the
law. The authorities sent me packing back to the Midwest with
nothing more than the clothes on my back.

Tradition
Three
- "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop
drinking."

To establish this principle of membership took years of harrowing
experience. In our early time, nothing seemed so fragile, so easily
breakable as an A.A. group. Hardly an alcoholic we approached paid any
attention; most of those who did join us were like flickering candles
in a windstorm. Time after time, their uncertain flames blew out and
couldn't be relighted. Our unspoken, constant thought was "Which of us
may be the next?"

p. 139***********************************************************
If
we had no Winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; If we did not
sometimes taste the adversity, prosperity would not be so
welcome.
--Anne Bradstreet

"Change is what happens when the pain of holding on becomes greater
than the fear of letting go!" --Anonymous

Some flowers grow best in the sun; others do well in the shade. God
plants us where we grow best. --Unknown

To go fast, row slowly. --Norman Vincent Peale

"Storms make trees take deeper roots." --Claude McDonald

God's love and grace are bigger than all our worries. --Denise
DeKemper

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

INTELLIGENCE

"The brighter you are, the more
you have to learn."
-- Don Herold

The one thing I know in sobriety is how much I do not know! I thought
I knew every thing about God because I was a priest, only to discover
that I had made Him a prisoner of the Church. Once I was willing to
free Him from my prison, I discovered a freedom and awareness that
daily fascinates and astounds me.

Today I see that the glory of God shines within my pain, within my
loneliness, within my confusion, and the acceptance of my disease is the
key to recovery. Today the suffering enables me to discover a realistic
spirituality --- and it is okay to be confused!

With each new day, Lord, let me learn something --- even if it is that I
have not learned anything that day!

***********************************************************

"Nevertheless
we,
according
to
His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in
which righteousness dwells." 2 Peter 3:13

You were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as
children of light. Ephesians 5:8

"I will instruct you and teach you." Psalm 32:8***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration
One of life's greatest rewards is not what we get,
but what we become. Lord, teach me as I am able to learn and give me
the courage to be all that I can.

When we have to justify our actions, it may be that our actions are not
just. Lord, Your will is goodness. May I always have the strength and
courage to choose Your way so that I can simplify my life and enjoy the
peace of Your presence.

***********************************************************

NA Just For Today

Feeling Good Isn't The Point

"For us, recovery is more than just
pleasure."Basic Text p. 42

In our active addiction, most of us
knew exactly how we were going to feel from one day to the next. All we
had to do was read the label on the bottle or know what was in the bag.
We planned our feelings, and our goal for each day was to feel good.

In recovery, we're liable to feel
anything from one day to the next, even from one minute to the next. We
may feel energetic and happy in the morning, then strangely let down
and sad in the afternoon. Because we no longer plan our feelings for
the day each morning, we could end up having feelings that are somewhat
inconvenient, like feeling tired in the morning and wide-awake at
bedtime.

Of course, there's always the
possibility we could feel good, but that isn't the point. Today, our
main concern is not feeling good but learning to understand and deal
with our feelings, no matter what they are. We do this by working the
steps and sharing our feelings with others.

Just for today: I will accept my
feelings, whatever they may be, just as they are. I will practice the
program and learn to live with my feelings.

***********************************************************

You are reading from the book Today's
Gift.The shy man usually finds that he has
been shy without cause, and that, in practice, no one takes the
slightest notice of him. --Robert LyndWe sometimes feel self-conscious in
front of others. It may be that we've just gotten braces or a new
haircut and we're afraid everyone will stare at us. We stop smiling and
talk with our heads bowed. Many people have worn braces and many more
will. We need not be ashamed just because we feel different. By
beginning to smile again we will see how many people really didn't
notice our braces, or our haircuts, or anything but what they see
inside us.All we need to do is lift our heads
and smile. We will be amazed to find how little even our best friends
notice about the externals, the things that don't really matter. Who we
are is far more noticeable and far more important than what we look
like. A smile at shy times helps us accept ourselves as others do.What makes me shy?

You are reading from the book
Touchstones.Self-importance is our greatest enemy.
Think about it - what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and
misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self-importance requires that we spend
most of our lives offended by someone. --Carlos CastanedaWere we offended by someone today? Do
we harbor resentment for remarks, oversights, or unpleasant mannerisms?
Do we feel tense or uneasy about how someone else has treated us? We
can probably make a good case to justify our reactions. Perhaps we are
in the right and they are in the wrong.Yet, even if we are justified, it
doesn't matter. We may be puffing ourselves up and wasting energy. When
we are oversensitive, we take a self-righteous position, which leads us
far from our path of spiritual awakening. Our strength is diminished.How much better it is to let go of the
lightness, let go of our grandiosity, and accept the imperfections in
others. We need to accept our own imperfections too. When we do, we are
better men, and our strength and energy can be focused on richer goals.I will accept others' imperfections; I
do not need to be right.

You are reading from the book The
Language Of Letting Go.Enjoying RecoveryWhat a journey!This process of growth and change
takes us along an ever-changing road. Sometimes the way is hard and
craggy. Sometimes we climb mountains. Sometimes we slide down the other
side on a toboggan.Sometimes we rest.Sometimes we grope through the
darkness. Sometimes we're blinded by sunlight.At times many may walk with us on the
road; sometimes we feel nearly alone.Ever changing, always interesting,
always leading someplace better, someplace good.What a journey!Today, God, help me relax and enjoy
the scenery. Help me know I'm right where I need to be on my journey.

Today I look within to see what is
keeping me stuck. I know I cannot change unless I know what there is to
change. I feel energized and empowered to move forward. --Ruth Fishel

****************************************

Journey To The Heart

See How Powerful You Are

People who believe they’re victims get
to be right. Each experience they have convinces them of that. They
don’t open themselves to the lessons, the growth, and the beauty of
each situation they encounter. All they can see is their victimization.

Many of us have done the hard work to
shift our belief system about being a victim. As we did that, we
noticed that the scenery in our lives changed. When we believe
something different, we get to see something different.

People who believe they have powers
get to be right,too. Although we know there is much in life we can’t
control, we also know we have the power to think, to feel, to choose,
and to take responsibility for ourselves and our lives. We’re
discovering our creative powers, and our powers to love, including our
power to love ourselves. We’ve embraced our powers to grow, to change,
to move forward. We know we have the power to claim our lives and take
responsibility for ourselves in any situation life brings. Although
life may deal us certain hard blows, we’ve learned to see beyond that.
We see life’s beauty, gifts, and lessons, and its mysterious and
sometimes magical nature.

On the road to freedom we may have
made a stopover. We believed we were victims and we got to be right.
Now, our journey has led us someplace else. We know we have powers, we
know we have choices. And we no longer need to be right. Just free.

See how powerful you are!

****************************************

More Language Of Letting Go

Don’t let fear throw you off balance

Lay a two-by-four on the ground and
walk its length without falling off. Easy, isn’t it? Now place a couple
of bricks under the two-by-four, raising it off the ground by a few
inches. Walk it again. A little harder this time? Now imagine that same
two-by-four suspended at the height of your house with no safety net
under it. Would you care to try again?

The higher the stakes, the harder it
is to maintain our balance. That’s what fear does in our lives.

When we’re faced with simple
situations in life, it’s easy to do the right thing. But as the stakes
get higher and higher, it becomes increasingly difficult to focus on
the task. We imagine “what is” and what might happen if we fail.

Look at the two-by-fours that you have
to cross every day in your life. Are you allowing fear of a worst-case
scenario to upset your balance? Put the situation back on the ground.
Rarely will failure result in permanent damage. Remove the fear that
your mind has created around the possibility of failure and just walk
along the plank.

God, help me do the tasks that I have
to without the balance-upsetting confusion brought by fear. Help me do
what is right simply and easily each day.

****************************************

A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

Rare is the recovering alcoholic who
will now dispute the fact that denial is a primary symptom of the
illness. The Program teaches us that alcoholism is the only illness
which actually tells the afflicted person that he or she really isn’t
sick at all. Not surprisingly, then, our lives as practicing alcoholics
were characterized by endless rationalization, countless alibis and in
short, a steadfast unwillingness to accept the fact that we were,
without question, bodily and mentally different from our fellows. Have
I conceded to my innermost self that I am truly powerless over alcohol?

Today I Pray

May The Program’s First Step be not
half-hearted for me, but a total admission of powerlessness over my
addiction. May I rid myself of that first symptom — denial — which
refuses to recognize any other symptom of my disease.

Today I Will Remember

Deny denial.

****************************************

One More Day

A simple grateful thought raised to
heaven is the most perfect prayer.– Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Can we picture ourselves as small
children, bouncing back out of bed to add just one more, “and also
bless my teddy bear, and my . . . “? Most of us prayed because that’s
what we were taught to do. We didn’t understand many of the reasons,
but it felt good and made us feel safe too.

We form new habits as grown-ups.
Perhaps prayer isn’t part of our day anymore. We may start to pray only
when we need to ask for something. It is within our reach to develop
the habit of prayer once again. There may be comfort in the habit of
giving thanks every day … for what good health we do enjoy … for the
beauty of nature … for our family and friends.

I will use prayer as one of the ways I
can express myself and live a fulfilling life.

*****************************************

One Day At A Time

~ Laughter ~

Laughter can be more satisfying than
honor;more precious than money;more heart-cleansing than prayer.Harriet Rochlin

For as long as I can remember I've
always been a serious person. I can't remember ever doing something
just for fun or to have a laugh. There always had to be a purpose for
what I did in my life, or else it was of no value. As for being able to
laugh at myself, that wasn't even in my frame of reference. I was so
super-sensitive that I'd get upset if someone made fun of me, as it
would always make me feel "less than" or stupid.

So when I came into the doors of my
first Twelve Step meeting, I was amazed that, even though all the
people I met had problems around food, they were still able to look at
their mistakes and realize that that didn't make them a bad person. But
even more heartwarming was the fact that I heard laughter in those
rooms. Before, I'd always thought that when someone laughed at what I
said, they were laughing at me, and that would reinforce my feelings of
inadequacy.

The lessons I'm learning here are not
easy ones and there are still times when my old behaviors of being
overly sensitive creep in, but I know that recovery is a process, and
as I grow in the program, it will get better.

One day at a time ...As I practice the program and work the
steps, I am becoming more able to laugh at myself and not always look
at the dark side of life. What a gift it has been to start enjoying
life!~ Sharon ~

*****************************************

AA 'Big Book' - Quote

AFTER ALL, OUR PROBLEMS WERE OF OUR
OWN MAKING. BOTTLES WERE ONLY A SYMBOL. BESIDES, WE HAVE STOPPED
FIGHTING ANYBODY OR ANYTHING. WE HAVE TO! - Pg. 103 - Working With
Others

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

Your whole life has turned upside down
and it's time for a good cry. Have a good cry, wash out your heart. If
you keep it inside it'll tear you apart.' - Dr. Hook

I follow my own inner path for
serenity. When it's time to cry, my spirit lets me know and I allow
tears.

It's the Little Things

It's the little things that count,
that add up to make a life, that weave themselves into the fabric of my
day and make it feel whole. My morning routines, the activities of my
day the people I encounter and share my time with. Little things like a
pleasant walk, exercise, my daily errands and even eating my favorite
foods all come together to make my day. As I move through my day today,
I will take time to notice and be grateful for whatever gives me
pleasure. I will say a quiet thank you for all that life is handing me.

I have an Attitude of Gratitude

- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

We find that the difference between
adventure and disaster usually boils down to attitude. It's like the
glass half full or half empty. Is it a problem or an opportunity; an
obstruction or a challenge for growth? The way you choose to see it
makes all the difference.

I don't see thing as they are, I see
things as I am.

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" -
Book

You have to ask yourself, What would
an adult do in this situation?

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

Today I look within to see what is
keeping me stuck. I know I cannot change unless I know what there is to
change. I feel energized and empowered to move forward.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

You hear people say; 'I do Steps
1,2,and 3 everyday.' And that sounds so good the newcomer hears that
and dies. Because all they've told you is they're getting ready to
begin. It's like they make a decision to be pilots and them spend the
rest of their lives in ground school. - Ted H.

*****************************************

AA Thought for the Day

February 4

Open-mindednessFaced with alcoholic destruction,we soon became as open minded on
spiritual mattersas we had tried to be on other
questions.In this respect alcohol was a great
persuader.It finally beat us into a state of
reasonableness.- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 48

HumilityEvery newcomer in AA is told, and soon
realizes for himself,that his humble admission of
powerlessnessover alcohol is his first step toward
liberationfrom its paralyzing grip.So it is that we first see humility as
a necessity.But this is the barest beginning. . .A whole lifetime geared to
self-centerednesscannot be set in reverse all at once.Rebellion dogs our every step at first.c. 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions, pp. 72-3

Thought to Consider . . .Many people haven't even a nodding
acquaintancewith humility as a way of life.

ReliefFrom "More about Alcoholism":"'They grinned, which I didn't like
too much, and then asked me if I thought myself alcoholic and if I were
really licked this time."'Then they outlined the spiritual
answer and program of action which a hundred of them had followed
successfully.Though I had been only a nominal
churchman, their proposals were not, intellectually, hard to swallow.
But the programof action, though entirely sensible,
was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong
conceptions out ofthe window. That was not easy. But the
moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the
curiousfeeling that my alcoholic condition
was relieved, as in fact it proved to be.'"2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition;
Alcoholics Anonymous, pg.42

*~*~*~*~*^ Grapevine Quote ^*~*~*~*~*

"While I've never been sober today
before, I count on my Higher Power to keep me sober as he has done on
all thoseother days before."Huntington, W.V., August 2006From: "Never Sober Today Before"Beginner's Book: Getting and Staying
Sober in AA

~*~*~*~*^ Big Book & Twelve N'
Twelve Quotes of the Day ^*~*~*~*~*

"When we became alcoholics, crushed by
a self-imposed crisis we couldnot postpone or evade, we had to
fearlessly face the proposition thateither God is everything or else He is
nothing. God either is or Heisn't."~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We
Agnostics, pg. 53~

We can look the world in the eye. We
can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We
begin to feelthe nearness of our Creator. We may
have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a
spiritual experience.The feeling that the drink problem has
disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad
Highway,walking hand in hand with the Spirit
of the Universe. ~Alcoholics Anonymous page 75

When we are honest with another
person, it confirms that we have been honest with ourselves and with
God.-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.
60

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

While A.A. has restored thousands of
poor Christians to their churches, and has made believers out of
atheists andagnostics, it has also made good
A.A.'s out of those belonging to the Buddhist, Islamic, and Jewish
faiths. For example,we question very much whether our
Buddhist members in Japan would ever have joined this Society had A.A.
officiallystamped itself a strictly Christian
movement.'You can easily convince yourself of
this by imagining that A.A. started among the Buddhists and that they
then told youyou couldn't join them unless you
became a Buddhist, too. If you were a Christian alcoholic under these
circumstances,you might well turn your face to the
wall and die.

Prayer for the Day: Lord in heaven,
please listen to all those who are praying to You now. Those who are
sad andcrying, those who have lost friends
and family. Those who are alone and frightened. Help them to remember,
that Youare there and You are listening. Amen.
Ask
and you shall receive,Seek and ye shall find,Knock and it shall be opened unto you.Matthew 7:7

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